The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East met with Lebanese officials Wednesday as his government reassured Beirut of support for the Lebanese army's fight with al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants in northern Lebanon.
Adm. William Fallon, head of the U.S. Central Command, met separately with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Defense Minister Elias Murr during an hours-long visit to Lebanon. In a statement after the meetings, U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Jeffrey Feltman praised Lebanon's efforts and reiterated "the strength of the strategic partnership between the United States and Lebanon." Fallon made no comments after his meetings.
The statement said the U.S. remains committed to providing the Lebanese army with the "supplies they need to battle - and conquer - the armed extremists in the North. And the United States is delivering on our promise."
The army here has been locked for over three months in fierce battles with Fatah Islam militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. A total of 148 soldiers have been killed in the fighting, along with an unknown number of militants and about 20 civilians. Washington and some of its Arab allies have airlifted supplies, mostly of ammunition, to the Lebanese army in the early days of the fighting. The military in Lebanon is an all-volunteer force of 56,000, with about 220 battle tanks, no effective air power and no air defense system. After last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants, the U.S. decided to increase military aid to Lebanon to $40 million a year. |